HOWDY ALL!
this will be my first post . hope this is helpful to some of you.
here is a little video that my friend knottybumpo and i made which shows squirrel skinning 101. you will need a late version of wmp to see it!
i am the scamp doing the skinning.
http://members.localnet.com/~nickdd/here are a few tips that may help you.
1. pull the tail along the back towards the head. just before the point where the tail joins the body there may be a part in the hair. this is the place to make the first cut. you cut straight down through the tailbone towards the back. some folks leave 1/4" or so of the bone on the body when finished. this won't hurt anything. avoid cutting below the tailbone. when you get this part right, you should never be cutting into meat at all.
2. after the tail bone is severed, you want to skin a flap of skin big enough to get the edge of your foot onto solidly. that's what this is all about. it's the flap of skin you stand on and not the tail. the tail is weak and will break. when you skin this flap back with your knife, as you get further back and wider, start to angle the cuts on both side toward the underbelly. i skin to about where the back legs join the body. at that point i will have the cuts angled toward the underbelly. on fox squirrels, i may make a longer flap for more surface contact. their hide is considerably tougher than the grays.
3. when you step down on the flap of skin, use the edge of your shoe and get it as close to the meat as possible. it helps to do the skinning on a flat hard surface. this is to keep the skin from slipping out from under your foot.
4. if the skin starts slipping from under your foot as you are skinning, it is best to stop and reposition it. breaking the tail makes it more difficult to get your foot into the correct postion. i have broken tails and still manage to skin them this way but it is a little more difficult.
5. if you get a big fox squirrel and the skin does not want to seperate at the belly on its own, you may have to use your knife to seperate it. this is not usual but with the tougher fox squirrels, it does happen.
6. i skin the squirrel all the way to where its head and front legs are showing and then stop. i wipe the hair on my right hand onto my britches(this keeps most of it off the squirrel) and grab the varmint with that hand around the skinned out ribs. do not take the pressure off the tail! now wipe the hair off your left hand onto your britches for the same reason. the hide is very tender on the belly. you can push your finger under it there and pinch it between them and your thumb. then with a quick jerk rearward the skin will come right off. see video. wipe off any hair on your left hand. with that hand, pull the front legs out of the skin.
7. you can now do one of two things. you can either grab the body with both hands and pull the head loose or you can just cut the head off while still attached to the skin. i usually just pull the head out of the skin. i normally never touch a knife once i have made the first cut through the tailbone. see video!
for you folks who have never tried this, you find it clumsy at first. remember, i have been skinning squirrels for over 40 years and have skinned a few thousand. it will take you a few to get the hang of it. when you do get good at it, you will enjoy squirrel hunting a little more!
the video is hosted by num1dad. many folks have viewed this on his webpage and i like to make sure we thank him for it occasionally!
luck!
